Return to the Unknown
by MagicalBookworm
Summary: Mystery/Adventure/Romance/Humor. A week after the accident, Sara is killed in a car crash. Beatrice visits Wirt in the hospital. Wirt and Greg go for a walk in the forest, and learn that their adventure in the Unknown was real. Beatrice and Wirt deny their feelings for each other, but it shines through. And someone is coming for the souls of lost children once again...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This awesome show (awesome doesn't even come close to the awesomeness of this** **show) is not owned by me, but by Patrick McHale and Cartoon Network. I wish I own it so bad that I would give up my hardcover copies of the whole Harry Potter series to own it. They finally have a section for Over the Garden Wall! Yay! This is what you've all been waiting for, folks... Wirt and Greg's Return to the Unknown!**

Wirt was nervous. He and Sara were walking to the park together. He wasn't sure if he was excited, nervous, apprehensive, or all of them at the same time. All he knew was that he had to keep his cool.

"Almost there," Wirt said to Sara. The girl grinned.

"I can't believe that the accident was only a week ago," she said quietly. Usually she wouldn't bring this subject up with her boyfriend, but she was still a little worried.

He had been in the hospital for three days. The doctors had explained that they had needed to run tests to make sure he and Greg were okay. But Sara didn't exactly trust the doctors.

"Are you okay, Wirt?" she asked worriedly when he started wheezing.

"Yeah, I'm o-okay." He took a deep breath. "I'll be fine." But he didn't sound so sure.

"If you say so. But if you need a break, tell me." Sara said, taking his hand and matching her footsteps to his. Wirt smiled at her.

"Thanks." They continued walking in silence.

Two streets away from the park, they were waiting to cross the street when a car raced by. It swerved wildly as its driver lost control.

"Run!" Sara yelled, pulling Wirt to the side.

_Crash! Boom! _The car crashed into another car. The teenagers watched in horror as the cars were hit two more times by more cars. Soon the street was blocked.

But a car behind the blockage was swerving drunkenly down the road. It crashed into the pole Wirt and Sara were hiding behind. The teens yelled as the car slammed into them.

The car slammed full force into Wirt, sending him flying into the bushes behind the sidewalk. The car then crashed into Sara, then shuddered to a stop. Sara was trapped under the car. But the car started up again and rattled into the trees lining the sidewalk, sending branches flying before it caught on fire. Its engine had been overworked.

The fire leaped onto the branches, spreading to the other cars. Soon the street was full of flame. The people left their cars and ran to the sidewalk to search for the teenagers who had been hit.

"Sara..." Wirt was trapped under a tree branch full of flame. He knew that Sara was dead. And he would soon meet the same fate if he didn't call for help. So he took a deep breath. "HELP!" he yelled as loud as he could before his vision went blurry and the world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**OMG! One review, one favorite, and nine followers?! With just one chapter?! You guys have no idea** **how awesome that makes me feel! Please stay tuned! I will work as hard as I can for you readers out there! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!**

Greg followed his mother out to her car. "Where are we going, Mom?" the small boy asked. His mother stopped walking and sighed.

"We are going to see your brother, Greg." Greg scratched his head.

"But Wirt should be home! And why aren't we going to the park?" His mother sighed again and picked up the boy.

"Your brother got into... Some trouble. He got hurt, so he went to the hospital. We are going to visit him."

"Will it make him feel better?" Greg asked. His mother smiled and gave him a small nod.

"I hope so. Now get in the car." She grabbed his legs and tossed him gently into the car. Greg giggled and put on his seatbelt.

"Let's go! We need to make Wirt feel better." Greg's mother smiled and nudged her husband.

"You heard your son, let's go!"

At the hospital, Greg picked flowers for Wirt from the little flower patch inside the parking lot. When his mother asked him if he knew what Wirt's favorite flower was, Greg responded with, "I think he likes roses. I think that they remind him of Beatrice." His mother smiled.

"I think he likes roses, too. Now let's go bring them to him." They walked down a pebbly path until they reached the waiting room.

"You sit here, Greg. I'll go talk to the receptionist."

Fifteen minutes later, Greg and his parents were entering Wirt's room. "I hope he likes my roses I picked," Greg said, running ahead of his parents.

"I think it's this one." Greg's stepdad opened a door. He was greeting by a doctor.

"You're looking for Wirt, yes? Well, right this way." The doctor led the family to a bed with curtains pulled around it. "He's in here. We closed the curtains so he could rest. I'm afraid he's unconscious at the moment." Greg's mother waved him away.

"It's just fine, doctor. As long as I get to see that my son is alive, I'll be fine." The doctor hurried away, leaving the family with their hospitalized son.

Greg pulled back Wirt's curtains. "Wirt! I brought you flowers! Oh, he's asleep." Greg looked up at his mom. "Can we sleep over here with Wirt tonight? I want to be here when he wakes up so I can give him his flowers." His mother smiled softly at the young boy.

"Yes, Greg. I want to be here when he wakes up, too." She helped Greg put the flowers into a jar half-filled with water.

"I hope the flowers don't die," Greg said to his mother when he finished arranging the flowers.

"Why?" asked his stepdad.

"Because I don't want Wirt to die. The flowers and Wirt are the same now." Greg was confused when his mother started to cry. "Oh. Did I do something wrong?" he asked. His mother wiped away her tears.

"No, Greg. Everything's o-okay." She gave him a weak smile. Greg hugged his mother, then opened Wirt's curtains again.

"Why is that thing holding up Wirt's leg?" Greg asked.

"Because it keeps his broken leg steady," explained his stepdad. Greg smiled.

"Keeping Wirt's leg steady will help it get better," he said confidently. He closed the curtains again. "I don't want to bother Wirt while he gets better." Greg hugged his mother and father. "Let's go get blankets so we can sleep with Wirt." He skipped away, singing a song about potatoes and molasses. Greg's mother and father smiled at each other.

"He's a good kid." Greg's stepdad said. Greg's mother started crying again, but not all the tears were sad ones.

"Yes. He's a good kid, alright."


	3. Chapter 3

**I am SOOO happy! Thanks for supporting me, and I promise I will work as hard as I can for you readers! Once again, thanks x 100000000!**

Greg and his parents were visiting Wirt at the hospital again. Wirt was still unconscious. His family was starting to get extra-worried, and so were the doctors. They were afraid that he would never wake up. Maybe his injuries were too severe for a fourteen-year-old's body to withstand.

"Will he wake up soon?" Greg asked, adding more roses to the jar on his brother's side table. His mother sighed and a tear slid down her cheek.

"I just don't know, Greg. I just don't know." She buried her head into her husband's shoulder. Her husband stroked her hair, staying silent. One more word about her eldest son and she would explode. Greg skipped over to his parents, completely unaware of how bad the situation actually was.

Then someone barged in.

"Oh my gosh, is he alive?!" A red-headed girl wearing a blue T-shirt marched into the room. Greg's eyes grew wide.

"Are you Beatrice?" he asked innocently. The girl saw him and gasped.

"Greg! You're here?" She gave him a big hug. Greg's mother smiled welcomed the girl, even though she had arrived on such short notice.

"So _you're_ Beatrice," she said, still smiling. "Greg has told me so much about you! So much that we practically think of you as one of the family!" Beatrice smiled at Greg's mom.

"Well, I appreciate it. I saw in the newspapers what had happened, so I was wondering if you could tell me a little more." Beatrice explained. Tears welled up in the older woman's eyes.

"Well, I actually don't know much. The other people at the scene weren't ready to talk about the incident, if you know what I mean, and Wirt's girlfriend was killed." A tear slid down the woman's cheek, followed by another. "So basically, I'm still clueless about what happened before the police arrived on the scene." She wiped away her tears.

Beatrice gave Greg's mother a hug. "I understand. I'm worried, though. Did the doctors s-say-" She broke off, tears slipping down her cheeks. She usually didn't get all worked up like this, and she had never felt this way about someone who wasn't part her family before. She pushed the thought away. She hadn't exactly cared for Wirt, had she? She had cared, but not enough. Until now.

Beatrice turned back to Wirt, who was still lying motionless on the bed. "I'm s-sorry," she said, wiping away her tears. "I usually d-don't g-get all w-worked up about stuff l-like this..." Greg's mother hugged Beatrice.

"Don't worry, dear. I understand completely." Beatrice smiled at Greg's mother.

"Thank you. I have to go now, but keep me informed of how he's doing, okay?" Greg's mother nodded and Beatrice left.

Beatrice walked away from arms that were almost as comforting as her mother's. Tears escaped, one after the other, just to fall harmlessly to the floor. It would be her time someday, right?

But now was not her time. Now was the time for Wirt to wake up and start stammering in that cute, awkward way of his. Now was the time for Wirt to heal. Now was the time for his family to heal as well. Everyone would have scars, some deeper than others. But they would all have scars, spots that would never heal. But Beatrice had had enough scars to last a lifetime.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter contains mild Infinite Eyerolls (BeatricexWirt pairing). Thanks for reading!**

Wirt pulled on his coat. It had been a few days since he had been released from the hospital. He needed to clear his mind. Sara was constantly occupying his mind. He had also started drawing twice as much. Now Wirt needed a walk.

"Wirt, what are you doing?" Greg asked, running downstairs and spotting Wirt pulling on his sneakers in the kitchen.

"I'm going for a walk," explained Wirt, sounding tired.

"I wanna come! I can see Beatrice!" Greg said, trying to fix a large knot in his shoelaces. Wirt rolled his eyes and helped Greg tie his shoes.

"Greg, Beatrice isn't real. It was all a dream. So stop pretending." Wirt said, helping his brother to his feet.

"Beatrice _is_ real, Wirt. She came to visit you in the hospital!" Wirt escaped out the door, grumbling. Greg ran after him. "Wait up!"

"Wirt, look! It's the graveyard! Let's go here! This is where we went into the Unknown!" Greg grabbed Wirt's hand and led him into the cemetery.

"Look! This is the wall we climbed!" Greg pulled Wirt over to the tree they had climbed. "Let's go!" Greg started scrambling up the tree. A few seconds later, he had scaled the tree and was now clambering down the other side of the wall.

"Uh, Greg? You still there?" No answer. Wirt swallowed nervously and pulled himself up the tree. Then he tried to climb down the other side, but fell and landed on his backside.

"Ha, ha! You fell on your butt!" said Greg's voice. Wirt looked around, startled. He didn't see Greg anywhere. Where could he be? Wirt stood up and dusted himself off.

"Greg, I'm going to the Unknown again! The Beast will get you if you don't come out!" He started walking toward the woods.

"Whatcha blabbering about, brother o' mine? The Beast is dead." Greg skipped out of the bushes nearby. "Let's go find Beatrice!" He danced away, singing. Wirt rolled his eyes and ran after him.

An hour later, Wirt was certain that they were lost. "Greg, I think we should go home," he said, stopping in his tracks. Greg turned and shook his head.

"No way! We've gotta find Beatrice!" He ran off the path, tearing through the bushes. "I heard something, Wirt! It sounded like my old best friend!" Wirt raised an eyebrow.

"Who's your old best friend?" he asked, running after Greg.

"The doggy, remember?" Greg disappeared under a low-hanging branch. "Look, brother o' mine! It's my old best friend!" Wirt ducked under the branch and gasped.

He had entered a small clearing. There was a small pond to his left, and a bunch of lavender to his right. Red roses grew at the opposite side of the clearing along with bluebells and tulips. Greg and the dog were playing near the pond. Wirt stepped into the center of the clearing, and he unconsciously walked over the Greg and pulled his sketchbook from his brother's satchel. He sat down next to his brother and started drawing.

"Rose, Rose? Where are you?" Beatrice followed the trail of paw-prints into a clearing. "Hey! Stop— oh my gosh! Greg?! What are you doing out here?"

Beatrice gasped as she spotted a thin, tall boy sitting near the roses. There was a sketchbook on his lap and a patterned pencil in his hand. He turned around and his jaw dropped. "Beatrice? Is that really you?" He got up and walked over to her. Beatrice swallowed nervously.

"Wirt?" she gasped.

"Yeah, it's—"

"Why are you so cute? And tall? And what did you do?" Beatrice slapped him on the face... Hard.

"OWWW!" Wirt touched his cheek softly. "That hurt! A LOT!" He rubbed his cheek. Wait, did she just call him cute?

As his cheek started going numb, Wirt couldn't help realize that Beatrice was really pretty as a human. Beautiful, even. She had waist-length red hair, blue eyes, and she was wearing a plain blue T-shirt, jeans, and blue flip-flops.

"Wirt? You still there?" Beatrice waved her hand in front of Wirt's face.

"Yeah, sorry. Did you just call me cute?" he blurted out. Beatrice blushed.

"Well, yeah." Greg watched as his brother's face turned red, and Beatrice's cheeks turned pinker.

"Beatrice likes Wirt, Beatrice likes Wirt!" Greg started singing at the top of his lungs. "You guys should kiss or something, like Mom and Dad do!" Beatrice and Wirt looked at each other awkwardly. To break the silence, Wirt said,

"So did you actually visit me in the hospital?" Beatrice smiled.

"Well, yeah." Wirt grinned.

"So does that mean you like me?" Beatrice blushed.

"I guess. You too?" Wirt responded by blushing. Beatrice smiled again. Greg grabbed Wirt and Beatrice's hands and pulled them closer to each other. Caught off guard, Beatrice crashed into Wirt and their lips touched.

Beatrice pulled away, blushing. "Aww, shucks! It didn't work!" Greg said, skipping away. "Come on! Let's go home. I'm sleepy." Greg disappeared into the darkening forest. Wirt rolled his eyes and followed him.

"Beatrice, do you want to come?" he asked. Beatrice nodded and called to her dog. The two ran off into the forest, trying in vain to catch up to a certain little boy with a teapot on his head.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning: Emotional stuff ahead. ****Thanks for reading, reviewing, and following and/or favoriting! I hope you likey! If you have any suggestions or questions, you're welcome to PM me at anytime!**

_When you left,_

_I felt like I did too,_

_You never deserved to be taken away._

_I fingered your lifeless,_

_Broken, limp form,_

_Hot tears slipping down._

_Did you do something _

_Long ago?_

_Was it something_

_Horrible, terrible, malevolent?_

_Because if you did,_

_I need to know,_

_Then I'd understand._

_I'd understand _

_Why death took you away,_

_Why you left me._

_Tears, tears,_

_A lifeless form,_

_A bouquet of lilies for you._

_Tears, tears, _

_A little cake,_

_A tree branch filled with flame._

Wirt finished, satisfied. His poem pretty much summed up how sad he felt. A hot tear slipped down his cheek and he wiped it away. When he had seen Beatrice again, Wirt had forgotten about Sara. But the pain had come rushing back when they stopped to rest. Beatrice, Rose, and Greg were fast asleep. No one was there to distract him from his pain.

The next morning, Wirt was up extra early to reread his poem. "Hmm... I think I need to fix this part..." he muttered to himself, erasing the tenth line. He yawned and his arms ached. As he rewrote it, Beatrice woke.

"What—" She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Wirt? What are you doing?" He turned, and Beatrice could see that his eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"Wirt, are you okay?" Beatrice walked over to him and sat down. "You don't look so good." Wirt rubbed his eyes and wordlessly handed her a scrap of paper. Beatrice read the poem, and a tear fell onto the paper.

"It's beautiful, Wirt. It's beautiful." She handed him the paper and he tucked it into his sketchbook. Tears fell and made a _plip, plop _sound on the cover of the sketchbook. Beatrice twisted a strand of curly red hair around her finger. He looked so sad just sitting there, crying, erasing a line or two and writing it again, so it came out just right.

Beatrice felt guilty. She had been an aggressive, angry, selfish, heartless, cold, unemotional, unfeeling child. And now she was watching her friend cry his eyes out for his dead girlfriend. What a horrible person she was. She wasn't even hugging him or anything. Nope. She just sat there and watched.

And what hurt the most was the knowledge that Wirt hated her for it.

Beatrice usually didn't get worked up, but her adventure with Wirt and Greg in the Unknown had changed her forever.


	6. Chapter 6

**BTW, I actually wrote the song that Beatrice sings to Wirt. I'm not kidding. To AnimePopCircle: Thanks for the idea! I'll totally include in this chapter!**

Beatrice sat there with her arms around Wirt's shoulders. "Stop crying, it's okay," she whispered to him over and over again. She hugged him and cried along.

A long while later, Wirt turned to her and hugged her really tight. "Thanks, Beatrice. Thanks for helping me." He started crying again. "I don't know why you're doing this. I never thought you cared." Beatrice felt guilty. Tears poured down her face.

"I do care, I just couldn't show you," she murmured. "I'm happy to help." Wirt pulled her closer.

Wirt hugged her, pulling her even closer to him. "Sing," he said quietly. Beatrice blushed.

"Why?" she questioned. Wirt looked at her.

"Please?" he pleaded. Beatrice's resolve shattered after seeing his sad, puffy red eyes and the tears. Oh, the tears. So many of them, mingling with the rain that had started to pour.

"O-okay," she whispered, clearing her throat. Wirt cried into her shoulder, making the short sleeve of her already-soaked shirt even wetter with tears. Beatrice hit choked up and had to clear her throat again. She allowed the tears welling in her eyes to flow down her cheeks. Beatrice and Wirt hugged. They pulled themselves closer together for warmth and comfort. Then she sang.

_"Tears_,_ tears, tears_

_Rain, rain, rain _

_I wish this feeling would just go away_

_Cry, cry, cry_

_Sob, sob, sob_

_I think I'll never stop_

_Oh _

_Oh_

_I feel like I'm six years old again_

_Again_

_Crying hard _

_Feeling my scars_

_Wishing it would just end_

_Wishing this nightmare would end_

_The wind blows hard _

_And stings my face_

_But I can't bring myself to let you go_

_Lightning flashes_

_Thunder roars_

_My shirt is soaked with tears_

_But I just can't stop_

_Can't stop _

_I hold you close _

_My strength fades away_

_But I'm still clinging to hope_

_To hope _

_I hold on tight_

_Bracing myself for the ride_

_The ride_

_But I'm flung away like an old rag doll_

_Like I'm useless_

_Useless_

_And maybe I am_

_Maybe I'm weak_

_But these tears won't stop me_

_No they won't _

_I feel like I'm six years old again_

_Again_

_Crying hard_

_Feeling my scars_

_Wishing it would just end_

_Wishing this nightmare would end_

_Wishing it would just end_

_Wishing this nightmare would end..." _Her voice trailed off as she was choked up by tears.

"Thanks," Wirt whispered.

"The nightmare can end now! Yay!" Greg, who had woken up at the end of the song, crawled into Wirt's lap. The older boy peeled himself from Beatrice and scooted over to the large oak nearby. Beatrice chuckled and followed Greg and Wirt into the shelter provided by the low-hanging branches of the old oak.


	7. Chapter 7

**To everybody reading this: The song Beatrice sings to Wirt in chapter six is called "Tears of Hope." Say thanks to ultima-owner for helping me think of this name.**

Wirt grinned at Beatrice in their little oak tree hideout. "Thanks for everything," he said to her, scribbling on the scrap of paper he was holding. Beatrice swallowed, blushing.

The night before, Beatrice had sung to Wirt.

The night before, they had found shelter in the oak tree's low-hanging branches.

The night before, Beatrice had learned to care, love, and feel.

The night before, Wirt had learned that Beatrice cared.

"What's for breakfast?" Greg asked, yawning. He had obviously just woken up; his tea kettle hat was tilted to the side, exposing a clump of frizzy brown hair.

"How about I find you some blueberries?" Beatrice suggested, fixing Greg's hat. The little boy grinned.

"Yeah! Jason Funderberker will eat a few as well, so bring extra!" He skipped away. Beatrice smiled.

"He's a good kid," she commented, reading what Wirt had been writing. "Hey, those are the lyrics from that song I sang!" She pushed Wirt's hands out of the way, making him blush.

"Well, it was the b-b-best song I've ever h-heard..." he stuttered. Beatrice blushed.

"Thanks. Well, I better go find those berries..." Her voice drifted away as she climbed through the bushes into a nearby berry patch. Wirt smiled and stuffed the paper in his pocket. He reached for a new piece of paper.

A while later, Wirt finished what he was writing just as Beatrice returned with the berries. "Hey, I got the... What are you writing?" Wirt blushed and stuffed the paper into his pocket.

"Uh... Nothing you need to know!" he said fiercely. Beatrice smirked.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Poetic." Wirt scowled. Then he thought, _Back to our old ways. Yeah, let's pretend last night never happened. _Beatrice scowled back and called for Greg. The boy waddled over, holding his frog.

"Did you get Dr. Pineapple his berries?" He took a handful of the said berries from Beatrice's hand. "Mmmm... Berries..." Beatrice and Wirt laughed as Greg stuffed his face with the berries, completely forgetting about his frog. The frog croaked loudly, and Greg stuffed a berry into his mouth.

"Let's eat these berries before Greg does!" Beatrice exclaimed, throwing a berry at Wirt. He ducked and threw a stick. Soon an all-out war began.

"Hey!" Greg yelped as a stone that Wirt had thrown knocked his hat off his head. Beatrice tripped over the tea kettle and screamed as Wirt pelted her with stones, berries, and sticks. Greg scowled and ran around collecting stones, sticks, and berries.

"No more fighting, or Dr. Pineapple and I will attack!" He held up a large pebble threateningly. Wirt his behind a thick branch and Beatrice dropped the stick she was holding.

"Fine, no more fighting. Let's just find my house." Wirt raised an eyebrow.

"And why are we going to your house?" he asked, adjusting his pointed red hat.

"My mom probably wants to thank you personally for turning us back into humans," Beatrice explained, all while Greg tried to fit all the stones, sticks, and berries into his satchel. Wirt sighed and pulled two-thirds of the items away from Greg.

"Honestly, Greg, how could you think you could fit all these things in there?" He sighed exasperatedly and facepalmed when Greg answered innocently.

"Dr. Pineapple had that idea," he said. "Wirt, why is your forehead red?" The said boy facepalmed again and Beatrice laughed.

Laughed. Okay, maybe she did kinda like him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Keep reading, my readers! Become magical bookworms of fanfiction power!**

"How much farther?" Wirt complained, his legs aching. They had been walking for hours, searching for Beatrice's house.

"Not much farther," the redhead panted, pulling a strand of hair away from her face. Greg popped a berry into his mouth and skipped ahead.

"Not much farther, not much farther!" he sang, twirling around.

"Just watching him is making me tired. How does he do it?" Wirt asked Beatrice as they ran to catch up with Greg. Beatrice laughed.

"Don't know. Too tired to think!" She plodded ahead, clutching her sides. Wirt ran to catch up with Beatrice and Greg.

"Hey, wait... Up?" He looked around, confused. "I was right behind them a minute ago..." He murmured to himself as he paced back and forth. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness. The Hunter must be getting to you." Wirt turned to see a girl standing behind him. She had long black hair, was really tall, had dark green eyes, and was wearing a black T-shirt, green pants, and brown hiking boots.

"Who's the Hunter?" Wirt asked, his voice trembling. The girl sighed.

"The Hunter is the sorcerer who took over the whole north section of the Unknown. That's where the Beast had reigned. He killed my family." Her voice trembled like Wirt's. "I have vowed to destroy him." Wirt raised an eyebrow.

"He sounds like a bad guy." he said. The girl scowled.

"Of course he is!" All of a sudden, she realized that she hadn't introduced herself yet. "Sorry. My name's Caroline. What's yours?" Wirt cleared his throat.

"Uh... My name's Wirt. I got lost when my friends ran ahead of me." Caroline smiled.

"I'll help you get to wherever you're going. Let's get going; the Hunter is approaching." So the two teens, one lost, one sworn to destroy, headed into the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

**I have a new goal! If I get over thirty reviews, I promise to work double-time! If I get over thirty-five reviews, I will work triple-time! So read and become magical bookworms of fanfiction power!**

"So who's your friend?" Caroline asked Wirt as they plodded through a shallow, muddy pond.

"Her name is Beatrice. She helped us get out of here when we first got sucked in," Wirt explained. Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Who's 'us'?" She waited impatiently for the boy's answer.

"Well, I suppose it means me and my brother, Greg. We got lost a few weeks ago. And now—" Wirt was cut off.

"—you're lost again," Caroline finished. He nodded and yawned.

"Almost there?" He yawned again, and this time, Caroline yawned too.

"Yeah. Let's keep going. You were headed east, right?" Wirt shrugged.

"Yup, I think so. Let's just hurry." The two teens started running. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and a boy with shaggy brown hair appeared.

"Caroline. How nice to see you again! I was hoping you would come along this path." The boy's voice was harsh and cold. "And Wirt. I didn't know you would be with dear Caroline. I expect she told you everything, correct?" Wirt drew away, shivering. Caroline pulled a sword from the strap holding it to her back. Wirt had never noticed it before.

"Leave us be, Hunter!" She waved the sword back and forth; it caught the light and glimmered. The boy scowled.

"You know I feel no pain. I am invincible!" A wave of bone-chilling cold washed over the two teens. They drew away, feeling as if they were being covered in ice.

"Leave us be, I say! I know what you fear, Hunter!" Caroline shouted. The Hunter roared in fury.

"You know nothing, girl!" The boy's body started to grow. Horns, sharp and deadly, stuck out from his head. Claws, just as deadly, shot out of his hands, which were now curved and covered with dry blood. His back arched, and he was standing on four legs. Sharp claws stuck out from his scaly back and hind legs. Worst of all... His face was that of his human form's. Except now it was scarred, cut, and bloodied beyond recognition; his claws touched his grotesque features; stroking them as if each was a treasured memory.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thx for reading!**

"Are we almost there?" Greg asked Beatrice as they trudged along the muddy path.

"No, Greg. We're not there yet." the girl answered.

"Hey, where's Wirt?" Greg questioned, turning around it face the redhead.

"What?" Beatrice turned around too. "Why isn't he behind us?" Greg shrugged.

"Maybe he went to find Potato Head! He went missing a while ago." Beatrice facepalmed and pushed her hair off her forehead.

"Greg, we need to find him! Come on!" The two ran back down the path, searching desperately for Wirt.

Meanwhile, Caroline and Wirt were walking down the path, keeping to the side so they could dart into the trees at any sign of danger. "I don't see them yet," said Wirt.

Caroline shook her head. "Me neither. Where do you think they went?" Wirt shrugged.

"They're probably not too far from Beatrice's house." The two started jogging down the path, Wirt panting a little.

Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the bushes behind them. Caroline stiffened, and Wirt took that as a sign. "Run!" He grabbed her arm and started dragging her down the path. "Caroline, hurry!" he shouted, panicking. Caroline finally relaxed enough to get her legs working.

She ran ahead of him, tears streaming down her face. "Hurry!" Wirt yelled. Caroline struggled to keep up; she was crying so hard. The other teen grabbed her hand.

"Come back here, you little brats!" howled the voice of the Hunter. Wirt panicked and dove into the bushes. The Hunter searched for them on the other side of the path.

"Come on!" Caroline whispered, wiping away her tears. Wirt nodded, and they started running.

"I think we lost him," said Caroline, a few hours later. They slowed to a walk.

Finally, they stopped walking. Only for something hard and solid to slam into them.

"OWW!" Wirt rubbed his head and stood up; he had been knocked onto the ground.

"Beatrice?"

"Wirt?"

"Greg?"

"Potato Head?"

"Beatrice?"

"_Caroline?_"_  
><em>


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! To Three Yellow Triangles: I think I fixed everything you pointed out! Please notify me if anything else seems weird, out of order, or just downright not-supposed-to-be-there!**

"Caroline?" Beatrice repeated, astonished. "You—you—escaped the Hunter?"

"With the help of your friend, I did," Caroline answered. The redhead's gaze fell on Wirt.

"Wirt! You're okay!" She ran forward and hugged him tightly. Wirt blushed, and his body must have been heating up too because the redhead pulled away.

She cleared her throat. "Umm, I mean... I didn't think a pushover like you could survive the Hunter!" Caroline and Greg started laughing loudly. Beatrice blushed.

"Shut up!" She covered each their mouths with one hand. When she finally pulled her hands away, fresh waves of laughter erupted from their mouths. Wirt laughed too.

"_Wirt and Beatrice sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes the love, then comes the marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!_" Greg and Caroline sang. Wirt stopped laughing. Beatrice slapped Caroline on the face. Caroline slapped her back. Greg threw a rock at Wirt.

When their mini-war ended, Caroline and Beatrice found a comfy spot nestled under the branches of a large oak tree. There, Wirt asked a very important question.

"How did you guys meet?" he asked Caroline and Beatrice. Beatrice looked for Greg. He was playing in the low-hanging branches of the oak tree, calling his frog.

"Potato Head? Are you over there?" He crawled over to a clump of grass. "Aha! I found you!" Wirt smiled at him, even though Greg's back was to him.

"He's busy. You can talk." Beatrice nodded.

"Caroline and I met right after the Beast was destroyed. I was finding my way home when I saw a house nearby. It was raining, so I ran inside of the house.

"I entered. Then I heard a voice. 'Who are you?' I freaked out. Then I answered, 'I am Beatrice.' The voice said, 'I am Caroline. My parents have been killed by the Hunter. Are you friend or foe?'

"So I said, 'I am friend. Who is the Hunter?' Caroline told me everything. I took her to my home, and then my mom told me that you, Wirt, were in the hospital.

"I immediately went to find you, and I did." Beatrice finished her story, out of breath. Wirt gasped.

"That's a weird way to meet." Caroline laughed.

"Isn't everything and everyone around here weird?"


	12. Chapter 12

**To Three Yellow Triangles: Thanks for pointing out the tons of mistakes I keep making! I am so messy and stupid! **

**To AnimePopCircle: I'll keep updating!**

Wirt sighed. "She's just so... I don't know, complicated." Caroline nodded understandingly.

"I get it. She acts like she likes you, and then she stabs you in the back." Then she added, "I just think that she has a way more complicated life then you think." Wirt sighed again.

"Maybe you're right." He turned and looked at her searchingly. "What about you?" Caroline snorted.

"What about me?" she asked. "I'm just... Me. I'm an orphan. A nobody. I'm hunted... My life is miserable." Wirt shook his head.

"Caroline, if you think that we're just going to let the Hunter get you, then you obviously don't know us." Caroline laughed.

"I _don't _know you." She looked down. "You want me to spill my guts, don't you?" Wirt groaned.

"You're good. I thought I was being subtle about it." He grinned. "Spill the beans!" Caroline rubbed her eyes.

"Fine. It all started when... No. It hurts too much." She turned away, and Wirt, being socially awkward as usual, took a while to figure out she was sobbing quietly. It was the first time Wirt had seen Caroline have an emotional breakdown (if you didn't count the time she had been crying while they had been running from the Hunter). Finally, he tried to comfort her.

"Caroline, it's okay. You don't need to tell me anything. It's okay." Caroline, who had curled up in a ball, sat up.

"Wirt... You don't know how much it hurts." She crawled toward him, and to Wirt's surprise, she curled up on his lap.

"Say some poetry." Wirt blushed.

"How do you know that I like poetry?" Caroline smiled.

"Beatrice." Wirt sighed.

"You win." He cleared his throat nervously.

_"You might not want to tell me,_

_Everything you know_

_I get it's pretty painful_

_So don't put on a show._

_Maybe you're scarred inside_

_Maybe it's the blood_

_Maybe it's the look on your face when you see fire._

_But whatever it is,_

_Know that you can talk to me,_

_Know that I've got your back,_

_Always know,_

_I'm here for you,_

_And I've got your back." _Caroline buried her face into Wirt's shoulder.

"It was beautiful, Wirt. Beautiful."


	13. Chapter 13

**Alright, thanks for reading and reviewing! Review replies!**

**To Guest: I wasn't intentionally putting Sara off; I was thinking of it more like Wirt was too caught up in the events that he sort of forgot. I was planning for something special... Hang in there!**

**Oh, and this is the last chapter for this story! Now for the sequel!**

"We're here!" Beatrice said happily. Caroline groaned.

"Finally!" Beatrice knocked on the door.

"Mom, let me in!" The door swung open.

"Come on in!" Wirt swallowed nervously. He had only met Beatrice's mom. What about her brothers and sisters? Greg skipped inside ahead of him.

"Wirt, are you coming or not?" Caroline asked, punching him in the arm.

"Uh... Y-yeah. I'm c-c-coming."

Inside, they ate a hearty meal. "Yum. It's been weeks since I've tasted bread that's not stale." said Caroline. Beatrice threw a potato at her. Wirt ran for his life. Straight into a wall.

"Bea, is this your boyfriend?" A redhead girl walked into the kitchen. Beatrice threw another potato. The redhead threw a rock. Caroline picked up Greg and ran outside. Wirt fell to the floor.

"Who's that, Beatrice?" he asked groggily. Beatrice scowled.

"Wirt, this is—" She ducked to avoid a potato. "—Katherine, my sis." Another potato flew through the air.

"Beatrice!" Another redhead walked in, except this time it was a boy. The potato hit him in the face. The boy threw the potato back so hard that it knocked Beatrice down.

"Sorry, Josh!" Beatrice said, throwing three potatoes at Katherine. Wirt ducked as a rock came flying his way.

"Is this normal in your house?" he asked. Beatrice nodded, picking up a stone.

"Yup. This happens almost every day." Wirt swallowed nervously and ran outside.

"Did a potato hit you in the face?" Caroline asked. Wirt shook his head.

"Nope. Lucky me." A pinecone hit him in the face. "Why does the universe hate me?!" He kicked the pinecone into a small stream. Greg, who had thrown the pinecone, came waddling out of the bushes, laughing his head off.

"Ha, ha! Wirt got hit with a pinecone! Wirt got hit with a pinecone!" Wirt scowled.

"I just want to go home. I mean, why are we even here?" Caroline rolled her eyes.

"To find food, water, and a bed!" She drew a star in the sand. "And to hide from the Hunter." Wirt sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe we'll find home another day." And they sat in a comfortable silence until the sun set, turning the water to liquid gold flecked with rubies and amber stars.


End file.
